The Legendary Struggle: A Hero’s Journey

Abstract

The hero's journey is a timeless narrative framework that explores the transformative journey of a protagonist facing trials, tribulations, and personal growth. Along their journey, they face inner and outer challenges, battling monsters, facing moral dilemmas, and ultimately undergoing a profound transformation. This study focused on The Legendary Struggle: A Hero’s Journey. A direct content analysis approach was used in the selected epic stories in the Philippines such as Ibalon, Indarapatra and Sulayman, Hinilawod, Hudhud of Aliguyon, and Kudaman by examining the struggles of a hero’s journey in terms of separation, initiation, and return. The results indicated in the separation phase have an emotional impact on the hero’s part and most likely on the family members and the people around. Moreover, the hero felt bothered because he would be away from his loved ones and homeland. In the initiation phase, the hero has struggles and challenges in his journey where he needs to fight to preserve the role, defend the homeland, and fight in the name of love. In the return phase, the hero struggles in returning home due to hindrances as obstacles. Despite all the struggles encountered by the heroes they still managed to return home safely.